Department for Education

Teachers: Training

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of secondary school trainee teachers of (a) physics, (b) chemistry, (c) foreign languages, (d) religious education, (e) mathematics and (f) computing have been recruited to begin training in Autumn 2024.

Damian Hinds: Departmental targets for 2024/25 postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) were calculated by the Teacher Workforce Model (TWM) and include recruitment to High Potential ITT (HPITT) which is a two year employment-based ITT programme attracting high performing graduates and career changers who are unlikely to have otherwise joined the profession. The targets are calculated to replace all teachers expected to leave the workforce in 2025/26, and the working hours lost from teachers that will reduce their teaching hours between years. PGITT is only one of many routes into the teacher workforce, all of which are considered when calculating targets. Other routes include undergraduate university courses, Assessment Only (AO), the upcoming teacher degree apprenticeship, returners, new to the state-funded sector entrants, and newly qualified entrants that defer entry into the profession (deferrers).Further information may be found in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets.Departmental targets are for 23,955 secondary teacher trainees to start their initial teacher training (ITT) in autumn 2024, including HPITT trainees. As of last month, there have been 7,618 acceptances to postgraduate secondary courses in England (excluding HPITT acceptances).​Acceptance figures exclude HPITT acceptances as this data is not published. It is expected that more candidates will be recruited in the final four months of the cycle. Therefore, although acceptance figures provide a better indication of the number of teacher trainees starting training in Autumn 2024, they are not directly comparable to TWM trainee targets.​The physics TWM trainee target is 2,250 (incl. HPITT) and currently there have been 554 acceptances (excl. HPITT).​The chemistry TWM trainee target is 1,220 (incl. HPITT) and currently there have been 314 acceptances (excl. HPITT).​The modern foreign languages TWM trainee target is 2,540 (incl. HPITT) and currently there have been 622 acceptances (excl. HPITT).The religious education TWM trainee target is 580 (incl. HPITT) and currently there have been 198 acceptances (excl. HPITT).The mathematics TWM trainee target is 3,065 (incl. HPITT) and currently there have been 1,001 acceptances (excl. HPITT).The computing TWM trainee target is 1,330 (incl. HPITT) and currently there have been 202 acceptances (excl. HPITT).​One of the department’s top priorities is to ensure that it continues to attract and retain high-quality teachers. The department is investing in attracting the best teachers where they are needed the most, through its teaching marketing campaign, support services for prospective trainees, and financial incentives package including bursaries worth up to £28,000 and scholarships worth up to £30,000. The department’s in-house teacher recruitment journey and associated digital services are generating new real-time data and insight to drive innovation. For example, the department has now rolled out an ITT course specifically designed to support more engineers to teach physics.

Department for Education: Civil Servants

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's (a) mean result and (b) standard deviation in the civil service people survey results for questions (i) W01, (ii) W02, (iii) W03 and (iv) W04 on personal wellbeing has been in each of the last 15 years.

Damian Hinds: The questions on personal wellbeing were introduced to the Civil Service People Survey in 2012 and therefore have only been in the survey for each of the last 12 years. The attached table provides the mean average and standard deviation of the department’s results for the four questions on personal wellbeing W01 to W04.The department does not hold the individual-level survey data, which is required in order to calculate the mean and standard deviation for 2017 or 2019.   23183_Table (xlsx, 23.3KB)

Apprentices

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage take up of degree-level apprenticeships.

Luke Hall: Degree-level apprenticeships (Levels 6 and 7) provide people with high-quality training and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility and widening participation in higher education and employment. There are now over 170 degree-level apprenticeships available in exciting occupations such as Doctor and Nuclear Scientist. More broadly, the department has now developed nearly 700 high-quality apprenticeship standards with employers, so today nearly 70% of occupations are available via an apprenticeship. The department has seen year-on-year growth of degree-level apprenticeships, with 229,970 starts since their introduction in the 2014/15 academic year. The department want to further accelerate the growth of degree level apprenticeships and are providing an additional £40 million over two financial years to support providers expand their offers, improving access to young people and disadvantaged groups. The department has also teamed up with UCAS so that students can now see apprenticeship vacancies on their service, putting apprenticeships on an equal footing with traditional academic routes, and continuing outreach work in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme.

Childcare

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral statement of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education of 23 April 2023 on Childcare Entitlements, Official Report, for what reason the statement was made (a) before the publication of a National Audit Office (NAO) on that matter and (b) while the NAO report was under embargo.

David Johnston: This government’s plan to support hard working families is working. The department are making the largest ever investment in childcare in England’s history. By September 2025, when the new entitlements are fully rolled out, working families will on average save £6,900 with 30 hours free childcare from when their child is 9 months old until they start school. The roll out has already been successful, with the government exceeding its targets for the April roll out of the first 15 hours for two year olds. As the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing set out in a statement to the house yesterday, and as acknowledged by the National Audit Office report, parents of over 195,000 two year olds are now benefitting from this government’s new and historic childcare offer.

Terrorism: Higher Education

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to help prevent people (a) promoting, (b) encouraging and (c) glorifying terrorism at universities.

Luke Hall: Higher education (HE) providers must comply with the statutory Prevent duty to have 'due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism'. The statutory Prevent duty can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance/prevent-duty-guidance-for-england-and-wales-accessible. HE providers should have effective policies and procedures in place to safeguard individuals susceptible to radicalisation. This includes assessing the risk of learners becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The Office for Students has delegated responsibility from the Secretary of State for Education for monitoring compliance of the Prevent duty in Registered HE Bodies. The department has a team of Prevent Regional Education Co-ordinators who work directly with HE institutions in England to provide advice, support and training to ensure providers are well equipped to prevent people from being drawn into or supporting terrorism. Further guidance, including bespoke training material for HE providers, can be found on GOV.UK. In the 'Independent Review of Prevent: One year on' progress report, the department announced that it is committed to publishing research on the implementation of the Prevent duty in HE, and guidance for universities on managing external speakers on campus. The Independent Review of Prevent can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-prevents-report-and-government-response/independent-review-of-prevent-one-year-on-progress-report-accessible.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many level 7 apprenticeship starts there have been in small and medium sized businesses in each of the last five years.

Luke Hall: The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by business size relate to the 2020/21 academic year and are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics.The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts at Level 6 and above by business size in the last five academic years for which data is available. Apprenticeships at Level 6 and 7 are not split out within published data so the figures are a combined total. 2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21Small (0-49 employees)2401,4302,8803,8705,540Medium (50-249 employees)808501,5501,8502,390 Data for 2021/22 will be published in July 2024.Apprenticeship starts are defined as the count of apprenticeship programmes that begin in an academic year, showing the take-up of programmes. An apprentice is counted for each apprenticeship they start at a provider.More details on the methodology can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics-methodology#content-section-4-content-1.

Local Skills Improvement Plans

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Mayoral Combined Authorities on Local Skills Improvements Plans.

Luke Hall: The department is delighted that across all areas of England, employer-led local skills improvement plans (LSIPs) have already helped engage thousands of local businesses and have brought them together with local providers and stakeholders, including the Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA), to collaboratively agree and deliver actions to address local skills’ needs. LSIPs were designed to support local innovation and growth so that every part of the country can succeed in its own unique way. The department has purposely given employers the leading role in developing LSIPs, as they know their skills’ needs best. However, the department recognises the importance of the MCAs and GLA being involved in LSIPs, given their role as commissioners in their local areas and to support employer representative bodies (ERBs) to consider skills priorities within the broader context of economic growth and development. That is why the department placed a duty on the Secretary of State for Education to be satisfied, in approving LSIPs, that the views of the MCAs and the GLA had been considered in their development. The department also engaged MCAs and the GLA in the development of the LSIP statutory guidance in 2022, which clearly sets out the role they should play. We welcome the positive engagement that took place between MCAs and the designated ERBs during the development of the plans and which is currently taking place as they are implemented. Indeed, each ERB will provide a public annual progress report in June 2024 and 2025 setting out progress made since publication of the plans.

Teachers: Warwick and Leamington

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers there were in Warwick and Leamington constituency in (a) 2019 and (b) 2024.

Damian Hinds: Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers in each school is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.As of November 2022, which is the latest data available, there were over 468,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes the highest number of FTE teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.As of November 2019, there were 609.9 FTE teachers in state-funded schools in Warwick and Leamington constituency.School workforce figures for 2024 have not been collected yet. In November 2022 there were 651.2 FTE teachers in state-funded schools in Warwick and Leamington constituency. Figures for November 2023 will be published in June 2024.

Criminology: Qualifications

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support schools and colleges to adapt their curriculum offering following the withdrawal of the WJEC Level 3 qualification in criminology (a) where the qualification was a significant component of vocational education programmes and (b) generally.

Luke Hall: The intentions of the reforms to qualifications at Level 3 and below are to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students, and only fund qualifications that are high-quality and lead to good progression outcomes. By ensuring that approved qualifications meet new, more rigorous criteria, young people can be confident that they will be able to progress to university and higher technical education and directly into apprenticeships and skilled employment.Qualification reform puts A levels and T Levels at the heart of study programmes. Qualifications reforms are being undertaken in cycles.Criminology qualifications will be considered in cycle 2 of the qualification’s reforms. An announcement, on which qualifications will be approved and which will see funding removed, will be made in 2025 and will be implemented from 1 August 2026. For students interested in the police, prison service, and other uniformed or emergency services, large applied general qualifications in uniformed protective services will remain funded until 2026. After this, qualifications in these subjects will either be approved as small alternative academic qualifications (AAQs), or technical qualifications mapped against relevant Level 3 occupational standards. Criminology is contained in the sector subject area of sociology and social policy. This sector subject area also contains a sociology A level which will serve students wishing to progress to higher education.Students will have the option to choose A levels or a mixed study programme. A student aspiring to be a police constable for example, could study a small AAQ alongside appropriate A levels such as law, physical education, or sociology. Alternatively, they can study a relevant technical occupational entry qualification, which will be based on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education approved occupational standards. These have been designed by employers to give the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for the occupations to which they pertain. Consequently, criminology has not been listed as an area where the department would accept a small AAQ.Over the last six months the department has invited all providers to attend one of ten in-person events in five cities across England to support them in understanding the details and timeline for reform and to provide information to help planning and designing their curriculum offer. The department has launched a set of web pages that provide colleges with the information they need. These web pages can be found here: https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/sections/16829562632850-Qualifications-Review.The department will continue to support schools and colleges through online information, future guides and events as the dates where the new qualifications landscape is introduced move closer.

Schools: Buildings

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of RAAC-related school closures at the beginning of the Autumn term in 2023 on pupils taking GCSE and A-level examinations this summer.

Damian Hinds: With thanks to the hard work of school and college leaders, all schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are providing full time face-to-face education for all pupils. The department is supporting schools and colleges to keep any disruption to education to an absolute minimum. Every school or college with confirmed RAAC has been assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of caseworkers. Each case is unique, and schools and colleges are being supported to put in place a bespoke plan based on their circumstances. In a matter of months, the department has completed its RAAC identification programme and announced funding to remove RAAC from schools and colleges for good. Schools and colleges concerned about the potential impact of RAAC-related school closures on pupils due to take GCSE and A level exams in the summer should speak to the relevant awarding organisation. Only the relevant awarding organisation will be able to confirm what can be done in any specific context and the specific options available. Awarding organisations could, for example, offer a longer extension for coursework and non-exam assessment, so that schools and colleges have as much time as possible to complete this important part of pupils' learning and qualifications.

Universities: Admissions

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of students came from a sixth form or college within 15 miles of their university in the period between 2015 and 2023.

Luke Hall: The information is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Criminology: Qualifications

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of the WJEC Level 3 qualification in Criminology on the (a) diversity and (b) inclusivity of post-16 education (i) for students from (A) disadvantaged backgrounds and (B) underrepresented groups and (ii) generally.

Luke Hall: Qualifications reform aims to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students and only fund qualifications that are necessary, high-quality and lead to good progression outcomes. Between October 2020 and January 2021, the government consulted on proposals to reform post-16 technical and academic qualifications at Level 3. A subsequent policy statement, published in July 2021, considered all the evidence submitted by consultation respondents. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-post-16-qualifications-at-level-3-in-england. Qualification reform places A levels and T Levels at the heart of study programmes, which evidence shows provide the best foundation to progress, either into higher education (HE) or skilled employment. The department recognises there is a need for alternative academic qualifications (AAQs) in a small range of subjects aimed at progression to HE, to support the A level offer. The department will fund small AAQs where they are necessary because there is no A level in the sector subject area or where it is strategically important to do so. Qualifications reforms are being undertaken in cycles. Criminology qualifications will be considered in cycle 2. An announcement, on which qualifications will be approved and which will see funding removed, will be made in 2025 and implemented from 1 August 2026. Criminology is contained in the sector subject area of sociology and social policy which also contains a sociology A level that will serve students wishing to progress to HE. For those wishing to progress into other careers, such as police or prison officer, they could undertake small AAQs in subjects such as uniformed protective services alongside A levels such as physical education and sociology. Our reforms also allow for technical occupational entry qualifications to be developed. Consequently, criminology has not been listed as an area where the department would accept a small AAQ. An impact assessment was undertaken to consider the post-16 reforms at Level 3 as a whole, which can be read here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1091841/Revised_Review_of_post-16_qualifications_at_level_3_in_England_impact_assessment.pdf. For students from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups, the department expects the impact to be generally positive, as those learners will see the biggest improvement in the quality of qualifications, and their outcomes thereafter. Students are expected to benefit from a more rigorous qualification system, with qualifications that better equip students with the necessary skills for progression into employment or further study. This in turn should help improve their economic returns and employability. However, the department recognises that for a small minority of students, Level 3 may not be achievable in future. That is why the department is raising the quality of qualifications at Level 2 and below so that there is plenty to offer students from all backgrounds who cannot access Level 3 straightaway, or for students who wish to exit into valuable occupations at Level 2. There will also be provision available for students who require additional help and support to reach Level 3. This includes the academic progression programme pilot and the T Level foundation year, where the department has seen 49% of students progress to Level 3 or higher from the first cohort.

Young People: Employment

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide support to schools and colleges to help prepare minority ethnic young people to transition into work.

Damian Hinds: High-quality careers information, advice and guidance is key to helping all young people make informed decisions about their future, including being able to find out about and consider the different options available to them. The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers programmes, to increase young people’s exposure to the world of work and to smooth the transition into their next step. The support provided by CEC is universal and provides young people in every part of the country, no matter what their background, with high-quality, tailored advice and guidance. Secondary schools are expected to develop and improve their careers provision for young people in line with the world-class Gatsby Benchmarks, including benchmark 3 which focuses on addressing the individual needs of each pupil. To support schools to address the individual needs of each pupil, in September 2021 CEC launched the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ), which is a student self-completion questionnaire that measures career readiness at points of transition across secondary education. Careers Leaders in secondary schools use FSQ insights to identify those students that require additional support in making their next career learning choice. Careers Hubs in the 2023/24 academic year are providing additional funding to deliver three distinct strands of activity focused on supporting more disadvantaged pupils:High-quality work experience for up to 15,000 young people with the greatest economic disadvantage.Experiences with 20 employers from key growth sectors for up to 5,000 young people with a guarantee of a high-quality mock interview.Virtual experiences for year 7 to 9 pupils in up to 600 institutions in coastal and rural areas.

Young People: Work Experience

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help broaden access to work experience for disadvantaged young people.

Damian Hinds: Work experience is an important aspect of the support pupils receive to follow rewarding learning and training pathways which lead to fulfilling careers.The department works with The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to support secondary schools to provide pupils with multiple interactions with employers from year 7 to year 13 in line with Gatsby Benchmark 6, Experiences of the Workplace. The department has asked CEC to drive this agenda forward at pace to increase workplace opportunities, targeting pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, in response to evidence that these pupils are less likely to access work experience opportunities than their peers. In the latest annual data, 64% of institutions fully achieved the experiences of the workplace benchmark, which is a 12% increase from the year before.The CEC Careers Hub network has been asked to use a proportion of their Hub Delivery Fund to stimulate meaningful employer-led activities to increase the quantity and quality of opportunities for young people to engage in encounters of the workplace with a focus on alternative provision, special educational needs and disabilities and Pupil Referral Units across all year groups.In addition, £1.9 million has been invested to support Careers Hubs to offer workplace experiences for up to 15,000 economically disadvantaged young people, including virtual workplace experience pilots for more than 1,000 schools in coastal and rural communities, providing access to wider national networks of employers outside their local community.

Health Education: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on steps to help improve levels of health literacy in school children.

Damian Hinds: Pupils need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal, and social lives in a positive way. That is why the department has made health education compulsory in all state-funded schools in England alongside making Relationships Education (for primary pupils) and Relationships and Sex Education (for secondary pupils) compulsory, collectively known as Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE).The department has also published implementation guidance and teacher training modules covering all the RSHE topics to help schools develop their curricula and teach subjects confidently and effectively, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. Topics in the RSHE curriculum at both primary and secondary include health and prevention, healthy eating, mental wellbeing and physical health and fitness.The department is reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance this year, working with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social care to do so. The department is taking a comprehensive, evidence-based approach in deciding what should be included and will consider whether the current content on health education could be amended or expanded to enhance the health literacy of pupils. The department intends to publish revised guidance later in 2024.

Teachers: Working Hours

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the results of trials of reduced teaching hours for teachers in schools.

Damian Hinds: The department is taking action to encourage and support schools to adopt a strategic approach to implementing flexible working.The department knows that flexible working is increasingly viewed as an expectation for employees across other sectors. That is why the department is always interested to hear from stakeholders who are trialling new approaches to embedding flexible working practices in schools. For example, the department knows that some schools have re-organised their timetable within their existing funding, giving teachers one full day of planning, preparation and assessment time a week which they can undertake from home. Innovative approaches like this could be an effective way to improve staff wellbeing and help with staff retention.If a school decides to make significant changes to its staffing arrangements, it will be important to consider the impact on those affected, including pupils and teachers. Schools should also consider the government expectation that all state-funded mainstream schools will deliver at least a 32.5 hour school week by September 2024.

Home Office

Fraud: Internet and Text Messaging

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the financial loss to UK residents due to (a) fraudulent text messages and (b) fake payment websites.

Tom Tugendhat: The Fraud strategy estimates that in 2019/20 the financial loss from fraud offences was £3.1bn.A link to the Fraud strategy can be found here: Fraud Strategy 2023

Fraud: Internet and Text Messaging

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to enhance cybersecurity infrastructure to help tackle phishing scams through (a) text messaging and (b) fake payment websites.

Tom Tugendhat: The Criminal Justice Bill will introduce a new offence of supplying or possessing “SIM farm” devices, which allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at the same time, without good reason or undertaking adequate due diligence.In addition, the Government and Industry have signed the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter, a voluntary agreement to improve counter-fraud efforts. Under the Telecommunications Charter, the sector has introduced firewalls that detect and stop scam texts from reaching customers. The firewalls have stopped 960million scam text messages since January 2022.Furthermore, domain registrars, Internet infrastructure (IIPs) and service providers (ISPs) operate robust voluntary arrangements for filtering, blocking and takedown of malicious websites, which is supported by the operational work of our agencies and law enforcement. NCSC also works in collaboration with industry partners to present ISPs with real-time threat data that enables them to instantly block access to known fraudulent or malicious websites. This has a major impact in protecting citizens from cyber- and cyber-facilitated crimes.Where voluntary arrangements prove unsuccessful, we are introducing a new legislative power will provide law enforcement and investigative agencies with a formal process to suspend IP addresses and domain names that are being used to facilitate serious crime. This power will also be introduced as part of the Criminal Justice Bill.

Asylum: Republic of Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will hold discussions with his Irish counterpart on the accuracy of figures for asylum-seekers who moved between the two countries in 2023.

Tom Pursglove: There is a high level of cooperation on migration and border security between the UK and Irish Government. In particular, the Home Office regularly discuss asylum trends and work to respond to these trends with our counterparts in the Department of Justice.

Asylum: Rwanda

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many case workers in the UK have received training to manage and process the deportation of individuals seeking asylum to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: As the Prime Minister has already set out, the necessary case workers in the UK have been recruited and trained and are ready to make decisions in preparation for the first individuals being relocated.

Asylum: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan people are awaiting an initial decision on their asylum application as of 18 April 2024.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by nationality are published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum applications awaiting an initial decision detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to 31 December 2023. Data as at 31 March 2024 will be published on 23 May 2024.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan (a) principals and (b) dependents are being housed in hotel accommodation under the (i) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (ii) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.

Tom Pursglove: The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to resettle Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK.The latest published Immigration system statistics, year ending December 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) show that (up to the end of December 2023) we have brought around 27,900 people to safety from Afghanistan and the region.These statistics also show that:We have resettled 10,520 people under all three of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) pathways;We have relocated 14,423 under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP); and125 people, around half of whom are children, were living in interim accommodation (i.e. hotels/serviced accommodation) at the end of December 2023.Afghan operational data is viewable at Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Overseas Students: English Language

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that universities are following English proficiency requirements for foreign students.

Tom Pursglove: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), as part of their compliance activities, conduct on-site audits of sponsors and check what assessment methods sponsors have used and their relevant evidence. Where there are any compliance breaches, UKVI take compliance action which can include formal action plans or revocation of the sponsor licence. English language assessments are also considered as part of the Basic Compliance Assessment which sponsors are required to pass on an annual basis.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arriving in the UK aboard any floating structure have (a) had their phone confiscated by border force and (b) had their data digitally downloaded since 2022.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office are unable to provide the requested data. This is on the basis that it is operationally sensitive and not stored in an easily accessible format.Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and police colleagues use every tool at their disposal to investigate and disrupt the people smuggling networks who facilitate dangerous crossings on such floating vessels and structures, including seizing and examining mobile phones which could assist with criminal investigations.

Asylum: Rwanda

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what legal assistance will be available in Rwanda to asylum seekers relocated under the UK-Rwanda treaty.

Michael Tomlinson: Relocated Individuals will be provided with legal representation free of charge throughout the asylum process. Part 3 of Annex B to the treaty details the provision that shall be made in Rwanda for Relocated Individuals to access legal assistance and interpreters.

Asylum: Rwanda

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many detention spaces are available for people seeking asylum who are due to be deported to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: As of 24 April, the Home Office has the capacity to detain around 2,200 people in immigration removal centres.

Asylum: Rwanda

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many field visits the Monitoring Committee of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership has conducted in (a) the UK and (b) Rwanda in (i) 2024, (ii) 2023 and (iii) 2022.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Migration and Economic Development Partnership Monitoring Committees in (a) Rwanda and (b) the UK have met (i) separately and (ii) together.

Michael Tomlinson: The Monitoring Committee have been taken through the end-to-end process under the partnership. This took place in Kigali in March 2023 and in the UK in May 2023 and have also held official and non-official meetings throughout 2022, 2023 and 2024 as well as undertaking training and testing of IT systems.

Asylum: Rwanda

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department has spent on costs associated with (a) AAA and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2022] HWHC 3230 (Admin), for which judgment was passed on 19 December 2022, (b) AAA and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2023] EWCA Civ 745, for which judgment was passed on 29 June 2023, (c) R (on the application of AAA and others) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2023] UKSC 42 on appeal from [2023] EWCA Civ 745, for which judgment was passed on 15 November 2023 and (d) other court cases relating to individual appeals against removal to Rwanda.

Michael Tomlinson: The most recently published information which includes legal fees is the National Audit Office Report which can be found here: Investigation into the costs of the UK-Rwanda Partnership - NAO report.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Telephone Systems

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the level of performance of the Polycom phone system.

Sir Charles Walker: The performance of the current telephony system is not good enough and is falling short of reasonable expectation. The Parliamentary Digital Service is working hard with our suppliers and technology partners to bring the level of service up to an acceptable standard. A new solution has been procured and will be implemented later this year. I apologise to the right hon. Member and all colleagues for the inconvenience they are experiencing.

Parliamentary Estate: Security

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many security passes are valid for use on the Parliamentary Estate by (a) MPs, Peers and their staff; (b) staff supporting Parliamentary activities in each House, (c) staff supporting non-Parliamentary activities, (d) security guards; (e) police officers; (f) contractors and (g) any other category.

Sir Charles Walker: A breakdown of pass data is available, however the categories used do not match up exactly with the categories specified. This is because the House regards every member of the Administration as supporting parliamentary activities, whether directly or indirectly.The number of passes on issue changes constantly, so the following represents a snapshot of data recorded on 17 April 2024:(a) MPs, Peers and their staffMPs: 648Peers: 842MPs’ staff: 1,987Peers’ staff: 345 (b) (c) and (d) Staff in both HousesHouse of Commons, House of Lords, and Parliamentary Digital Service: 4,132(e) police officersMetropolitan Police staff including police officers: 608 (f) contractorsContractors: 4,236 (g) any other categoryFormer MPs: 329Retired Peers: 58Political parties and whips: 200Partners of MPs/Peers and residents: 765Civil servants: 1,793Media: 492Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority: 184Other: 165

Treasury

Nurseries: Business Rates

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to support nurseries experiencing financial challenges as a result of increased business rates.

Nigel Huddleston: The government recognises the pressure that businesses have been under since the pandemic and that is why the government froze the business rates multiplier for three consecutive years from April 2021 until April 2024 at a cost of £14.5 billion. To make sure that the most vulnerable businesses continue to be supported, the government announced a further freeze to the small business multiplier at Autumn Statement for 2024-25, which will protect over a million ratepayers from a multiplier increase. This means bills will be 6.6 per cent lower than without the freeze. In addition to this support, some nurseries will already be in receipt of business rates relief where they have a ‘charitable purpose’, such as those part of academy chains.

Cryptocurrencies: Fraud

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take in the 2024-25 financial year to help tackle crypto currency fraud.

Bim Afolami: The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously, and published a comprehensive Fraud Strategy in May last year. Through this the Government will work: with industry to remove the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit; with intelligence agencies to shut down fraudulent infrastructure; with law enforcement to identify and bring the most harmful offenders to justice; and with all partners to ensure that the public have the advice and support they needFurther, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) commenced enforcement of the cryptoassets financial promotion regime in October last year, requiring such promotions to be fair, clear and not misleading. This is aimed at improving consumers’ understanding of the risks and benefits associated with cryptoasset purchases and ensuring that cryptoasset promotions are held to the same standards as similar risk financial services products. In the next phase of its work, the Government is creating a comprehensive financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

West Africa: Military Bases

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the presence of foreign military bases on the sovereignty of host countries in West Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Decisions about hosting foreign military bases in Africa are for host countries to make. The UK supports the sovereignty of states and encourages all actors to ensure foreign forces are deployed in line with African Union and UN frameworks on peacekeeping and security operations. This ensures respect for international law and human rights, and accountability, are upheld. UK military will continue to work with, and at the invitation of, elected governments to support on security.

West Africa: Counter-terrorism

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what support his Department provides to nations in West Africa to strengthen their counterterrorism capabilities.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK recognises the increased threat of instability in West Africa. As part of our efforts to support partners in the region, we have agreed and are developing new programmes, including through HMG's Integrated Security Fund. Combined with our existing Security and Defence Partnerships with Ghana and Nigeria, these programmes will further build resilience to and counter violent extremism in the region. They include a range of interventions with international, government and non-government partners across the region to address challenges including Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR), Terrorist Financing, crisis response and strategic communications.

Libya: Elections

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of recent reluctance by Libyan stakeholders to establish elections in the country.

David Rutley: The ongoing political impasse in Libya is unsustainable, and deeply damaging for ordinary Libyans. It leaves Libya extremely vulnerable to third state actors set on pursuing control over Libya's security, politics and economy. The UK continues to support the UN's efforts to broker a Libyan-owned and led political settlement, with the onus on Libya's leaders to fulfil their responsibilities. We note with regret the resignation by UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, Abdoulaye Bathily, and renew our full support to the United Nations and the key role it continues to play in Libya.

European Convention on Human Rights

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights on the economy.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO has not made an assessment of this nature.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Mark Logan: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what plans he has to collaborate with Israel on expediting the opening of the (a) Erez crossing and (b) Ashdod Port for humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has long urged Israel to take these steps and welcomes these commitments. We want to see Israel fulfil these commitments swiftly and in full. The Foreign Secretary discussed this with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 17 April.The Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Baerbock urged Israel to deliver on its promises of delivering more aid into Gaza through as many routes possible by land, sea and air.We have also announced £3 million of additional funding for equipment to support the UN and aid agencies to get more aid into Gaza through new and existing land crossings. The UK's contribution will include trucks, forklifts, generators, fuel stores and lighting towers.

Central Africa and East Africa: Food Supply

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to help improve food security in (a) Sudan, (b) South Sudan and (c) Chad.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In 2024/2025, (ODA) will include £89 million to Sudan and £111 million to South Sudan including assistance to address food insecurity. For instance, our ODA in Sudan will support UNICEF to provide emergency and life-saving food assistance to support people particularly in hard-to reach areas in Sudan, including nutrition, water and hygiene services for 500,000 children under 5. We will also continue to provide ODA assistance in Chad in 2024/2025.

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of infrastructure within Gaza to effectively distribute aid.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government is closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and is in regular contact with humanitarian partners who operate there.HMG have underlined the need for increased capacity inside Gaza including fully enabling the UN's minimal operating requirements. Both have also conveyed to their Israeli counterparts the importance of effective deconfliction.

Gaza: Aid Workers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with representatives of World Central Kitchen on the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of aid workers in Gaza on 1 April 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: As the Prime Minister said in his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu 2 April, the UK was appalled by the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including three British nationals, in an Israeli airstrike 1 April. The Prime Minister called for a thorough and transparent investigation into what happened. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon also spoke with the CEO of World Central Kitchen, Erin Gore, on 2 April to offer our condolences.Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have conveyed to their Israeli counterparts the importance of effective deconfliction.

Haiti: Turks and Caicos Islands

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what support his Department is providing to the Turks and Caicos Islands in response to the security situation in Haiti.

David Rutley: The UK remains committed to the safety and security of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and supporting the security of TCI borders in response to worsening violence in neighbouring Haiti. The FCDO has been coordinating and funding a range of support to the TCI. This includes a package of coastal sensors overseen by the Joint Maritime Security Centre, recruiting specialist police officers, supporting the deployment of US government aircraft and procurement of other specialist equipment. Minister Rutley remains in close contact with the Governor and Premier.

China: International Assistance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK’s aid relationship with China.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We stopped direct government-to-government aid to the Chinese Government in 2011. In a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) in April 2021, the FCDO committed to cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) funded programmes in China by 95 per cent from the 2021-22 financial year, which it has delivered. All new ODA programme funding has been limited to supporting our open societies and human rights objectives in China.

EU Countries: Elections

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department monitors the role of external state actors in influencing electoral outcomes in the EU.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: International partners, including in the EU, could be at risk of attempts by foreign states to interfere in elections. Collaboration with international partners, including in the EU, is an essential part of countering these risks. Through the UK's Defending Democracy Ministerial Taskforce, FCDO officials have engaged with partners, including Austria, Romania, and France, to share best practice and identify opportunities for future joint work to build resilience against interference in our democratic processes. FCDO regularly updates to the Taskforce's Ministerial meetings on key risks, learnings, and responses from international elections to inform the UK's election preparations. The UK will continue to engage with international partners.

Disinformation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps the Government is taking to work with EU countries to counter disinformation campaigns orchestrated by foreign state actors.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK works closely with international partners to counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) by hostile actors, including with the European Union and with some EU members States. This includes work to identify and respond to the diverse and evolving threat to our democracies from information manipulation. We work closely with countries across Europe to develop effective national security responses to FIMI; enable communication activities to challenge information manipulation; and support independent media and civil society organisations to build resilience to disinformation. We have sanctioned enablers of Russian disinformation and information manipulation including Russia state media and Kremlin-funded information operations globally, including in Europe.

Department of Health and Social Care

Brain: Tumours

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to provide dendric cell therapy for glioma.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Brain: Tumours

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of treatment for glioma on the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medicine: Higher Education

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress she has made on increasing the number of medical student places; and whether she expects to meet the commitment to double the number of medical school places by 2031.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Software

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on contracts with NEC Software Solutions for centralising existing clinical registries.

Andrew Stephenson: The current contract with NEC Software Solutions for centralising the Medical Device Outcome Registry, National Joint Registry, and National Vascular Registry is £969,544. Further information is available at the GOV.UK contracts finder, at the following link:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bb2b90d1-c52c-4388-9159-7e8b8dce3c32

Strokes: Depressive Illnesses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take steps to (a) monitor the incidence of depression among stroke survivors and (b) improve interventions to enhance (i) aftercare and (ii) quality of life for those people.

Andrew Stephenson: Depression affects approximately one third of people with stroke, and stroke services in the National Health Service are very aware of the impact this can have on the quality of life and level of independence of people who experienced a stroke, and the importance of understanding through measurement which people are affected, to support appropriate management.The National Clinical Guideline for Stroke 2023 recommends that people with stroke should be routinely screened for anxiety and depression using standardised tools, the results of which should be used alongside other sources of information to inform clinical formulation of treatment and support needs.The latest published Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) data, from October to December 2023, showed that 92.4% of stroke patients were screened for mood disturbances, including depression, in hospital. 75% of stroke patients who were followed up at six months post stroke also had a mood screen, with 53% of patients receiving the psychological support needed.NHS England is driving implementation of the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS) with a number of specific projects aimed at improving delivery of psychological rehabilitation. The ICSS model is vital to support psychological recovery, return to work, and improved quality of life. From July 2024, the SSNAP will record the amount of psychological rehabilitation provided to patients, and measure changes in quality of life over time.

Nurses: Pay

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing a separate nursing pay spine on trends in the level of pay progression within the nursing profession.

Andrew Stephenson: The call for evidence in relation to a separate pay spine for nursing closed on 4 April 2024. A large volume of evidence was submitted, and analysis of this evidence remains underway. The Government will publish its formal response in due course.

Palliative Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that best practice in palliative and end of life care is shared across the NHS.

Helen Whately: The Government recognises that access to high-quality palliative and end of life care can make all the difference to individuals and their loved ones. NHS England meets regularly with regional and system leaders, providing a forum for the sharing of best practice. In addition, there is a palliative and end of life care workspace available on the FutureNHS Collaborative Platform, which includes a range of resources, case studies, and discussion fora, with access to the platform available for anyone with a NHS.net email account.NHS England has developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population, enabling integrated care boards (ICBs) to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities, and ensure that funding is distributed fairly, based on prevalence.As of April 2024, NHS England is including palliative and end of life care in the list of topics for regular performance discussions between national and regional leads. These meetings will provide an additional mechanism for supporting ICBs to continue improving palliative and end of life care for their local population.The Ambitions Framework, refreshed by the National Palliative and End of Life Care Partnership, which is made up of NHS England and 34 partner organisations with experience of, and responsibility for, end of life care, sets out the vision to improve end of life care through partnership and collaborative action between organisations at local level throughout England, by setting out six key ambitions.Furthermore, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance and quality standards on end of life care for adults, and children and young people. These are based on best practice in developing and delivering care and, while not statutory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.

Palliative Care: Health Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to increase health literacy for services to support people at the end of life.

Helen Whately: The National Health Service website and the NHS App are our main digital tools available to citizens, to support them in accessing services and making decisions about their health. Clinicians across the NHS also support patients’ health literacy by providing clear information, increasing patients’ knowledge, and sharing decision-making on their care.Additionally, through the Voluntary Community Social Enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Programme, the Department, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency work together with VCSE organisations to drive transformation of health and care systems, promote equality, address health inequalities, and help people, families, and communities to achieve and maintain wellbeing. The current projects include increasing health literacy through intersectional considerations at the end of life, digital inclusion, and barriers for those likely to be in the last year of life without a life-limiting diagnosis.

Palliative Care: Integrated Care Boards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that integrated care boards have clear accountability over their funding decisions for (a) hospices and (b) palliative and end of life care services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will provide financial support to integrated care boards to tackle regional inequalities in (a) hospice, (b) palliative and (c) end of life care services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with (a) clinicians, (b) hospice leaders and (c) academics on future funding requirements for hospice and end of life care.

Helen Whately: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for determining the level of locally available, National Health Service funded palliative and end of life care, including hospice care. ICBs are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population.The majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services. However, we also recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in providing support to people at end of life, and their families. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding hospices receive is dependent on many factors, including what other statutory services are available within the ICB footprint. Charitable hospices provide a range of services which go beyond that which statutory services are legally required to provide. Consequently, the funding arrangements reflect this.In July 2022, NHS England published statutory guidance and service specifications for commissioners on palliative and end of life care, setting out the considerations for ICBs to meet their legal duties, and making clear reference to the importance of access to services.The Department and NHS England, alongside key partners, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face, including that of future funding pressures. The Department is in ongoing discussions with NHS England, including its National Clinical Director, about the oversight and accountability of National Health Service palliative and end of life care commissioning.From April 2024, NHS England will include palliative and end of life care in the list of topics for its regular performance discussions between national and regional leads. These national meetings will provide an additional mechanism for supporting ICBs in continuing to improve palliative and end of life care for their local population.NHS England has commissioned the development of a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of those in their local population, enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities. Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has established a new Policy Research Unit to build an evidence base on palliative and end of life care, with a specific focus on inequalities.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to increase inpatient provision for patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to section 1.17 of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines entitled Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy) chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management, published on 29 October 2021, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that hospital staff are aware of NICE guidelines for caring patients with very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16630 on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, when she plans to publish the final myalgic encephalomyelitis delivery plan.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline, Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management, published in October 2021, outlines the expectations for inpatient care for patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The guidance states that where possible, patients with ME should be provided with a single room, and that factors such as the level of lighting and sound should be taken into consideration, and necessary adjustments made.It is the duty of clinicians to keep themselves appraised of best practice, in particular guidance issued by the NICE. Whilst guidelines are not mandatory, clinicians and commissioners are expected to take them fully into account when designing services that meet the needs of their local population. The NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters, and other media.The Department is working with NHS England to develop an e-learning course on ME for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff in providing better care and improving patient outcomes. The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning package on ME to all United Kingdom medical schools, and encourage medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME.We have finished consulting on My Full Reality, the cross-Government interim delivery plan on ME, which seeks to improve the experiences and outcomes of people living with this condition. We are in the process of analysing the results of the consultation. The views and experiences gathered through this consultation will be used to build a picture of how well the interim delivery plan identifies and meets the needs of the ME community, and to highlight any significant gaps where further action may be necessary. We will publish a summary of the consultation responses, which will inform the final delivery plan being published later this year, in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

Work and Health Programme: Disability

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department held discussions with organisations representing disabled people on the disbanding of the Work and Health Programme.

Mims Davies: Stakeholder engagement has been a key part of the design processes for the range of new programmes to enhance employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions being funded through the Back to Work Plan announced at Spring Budget and Autumn Statement 2023 – including Universal Support. This has included a range of organisations representing the types of people who are eligible for the current Work and Health Programme. We will continue to engage with relevant organisations as the planning for and roll out of these new and expanded programmes progresses. Any further announcements regarding the Work and Health Programme will be made in due course.

Employment: Disability

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 33 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, how many people received support from the Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies programme (a) nationally and (b) by region in the last 12 months.

Mims Davies: NHS Talking Therapies data (including on employment support) is published monthly by NHSE. There is a slight lag in the publication, so the last 12 months for which data is available is March 2023-February 2024. For the period March 2023-February 2024:(a) NHSE data shows that 47,280 individuals started employment support in NHS Talking Therapies (this service is in England only)(b) The following table breaks this down by NHS regions: NHS Commissioning RegionEmployment support starts EAST OF ENGLAND4,745LONDON7,495MIDLANDS10,240NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE4,205NORTH WEST3,830SOUTH EAST12,505SOUTH WEST4,260 Source: NHS Talking Therapies Monthly Statistics Including Employment Advisors - NHS England Digital Caveats:Numbers above are for clients who first started employment support in the reporting period (measured by month).The total above is aggregated from the monthly data (across 12 months), using the EA040 variable (Count_FirstESApptInMonthRefs)The Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies programme is currently being rolled out across England. All NHS Talking Therapies providers in England are on track to have Employment Advisers in post during 2024/25. This may account for some of the regional differences noted above.

Unemployment: Chronic Illnesses

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a comparative estimate of the number of people who were economically inactive and waiting for NHS treatment by (a) nation and (b) region as of (i) 23 April 2010 and (ii) 23 April 2024.

Mims Davies: The information available on the number of people who were economically inactive and waiting for NHS treatment is given below. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published waiting times for a hospital appointment, test or to start receiving treatment through the NHS for those who are economically inactive as part of the Opinions and Lifestyles Survey. This data is available for Great Britain and is not available at lower-level geographies and the earliest available data is for 22 November to 18 December 2022 therefore a comparison with 2010 at a national and regional level cannot be made. The latest Opinions and Lifestyle Survey data shows that the number of economically inactive adults aged 16 years and over in Great Britain is 6.9 million, excluding those who are retired (18 October 2023 to 1 January 2024). Economically inactive adults will, for example, include adults who are studying, have caring responsibilities or are long-term sick. Of this population, between 2.1 million (30%) and 2.6 million (38%) are currently waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or to start receiving medical treatment through the NHS. Data source: The impact of winter pressures on different population groups in Great Britain: NHS waiting lists (18 October 2023 to 1 January 2024)

Universal Credit: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many veterans have been identified as Universal Credit claimants since the introduction of the new DWP marker.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) started collecting data on the Armed Forces status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants in Great Britain (GB) in April 2021. At first only new claimants were asked about their Armed Forces status. From June 2021 onwards, other UC claimants reporting changes in their work and earnings have also been able to report their status. From July 2021 onwards, UC agents have also been able to record claimants’ Armed Forces status if they are told about this via other means such as journal messages, face-to-face meetings or by telephone. It should be noted that Armed forces status is self-reported by claimants and is not verified by the Ministry of Defence or Office for Veterans’ Affairs. A claimant’s status can be recorded as “currently serving”, “served in the past”, “not served” or “prefer not to say”. By 14th March 2024, an armed forces status of “served in the past” had been recorded for approximately 110,000 claimants with UC claims for which a statement had been generated. This figure includes some people who are no longer on the UC caseload, some who had a nil payment claim and some who subsequently reported a different armed forces status, e.g. “currently serving”. It should be noted that the available data does not allow a comprehensive estimate of the total number of UC claimants who are, or have been, veterans. Notes:1. The figure provided is for Great Britain. Data is not collected on the Armed Forces status of UC claimants in Northern Ireland.2. The figure provided has been rounded to the nearest ten thousand.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department were working on programmes supporting disabled people into work as of 23 April (a) 2010 and (b) 2024.

Mims Davies: The Department does not hold this information centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs. Improving the lives of disabled people is a priority for this Government. This includes supporting more disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. In recognition of this, the Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and to reflect the shared agenda of boosting employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions. This not only benefits people’s health and wealth, but also the UK economy through increased productivity and reduced economic inactivity.

Employment: Disability

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 33 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts, what proportion of Jobcentres provide access to the Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies programme as of 23 April 2024.

Mims Davies: As well as providing employment support, Jobcentre Work Coaches can signpost to NHS Talking Therapies, which can be accessed via self-referral. Jobcentres do not provide direct access to Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies. Employment Advisers and Work Coaches often work together to support NHS Talking Therapies clients - who are in contact with JCP - to find work, return to work from sick leave and remain in work. The Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies programme is currently being rolled out across England. All NHS Talking Therapies providers in England are on track to have Employment Advisers in post during 2024/25.

Universal Credit: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the two-child limit in Universal Credit applies to households caring for an additional child under a special guardianship order.

Jo Churchill: Since 6 April 2017, families can claim support for up to two children, and there may be further entitlement for other children if they were born before April 2017 or if an exception applies. One of these exceptions is any child in a household who is living long-term with friends or family who would otherwise be at risk of entering the care system, which includes a child being cared for under a Special Guardianship Order.

Universal Credit

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting the minimum income floor for Universal Credit for (a) farmers and (b) other people whose income and expenditure varies during the year.

Jo Churchill: The Department does not intend to assess the potential merits of adjusting the Minimum Income Floor (MIF). Relaxing or removing the MIF risks trapping customers indefinitely in very low-earning self-employment and dependency on the welfare system - a situation that is unfair to the taxpayer, and unhelpful for customers and their families. We are working with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) to ensure a smooth transition from the old legacy benefits to Universal Credit, as well as providing transitional protection when applicable.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has (a) spent on and (b) reduced its expenditure due to the expansion of targeted case reviews.

Paul Maynard: Targeted Case Review (TCR) is currently scaling at pace to strengthen the department’s response to fraud and error within Universal Credit. We are investing £443 million to save £6.6 billion by March 2028. Investment in TCR for 2022-23 was £19.6 million. As set out in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) 2022-23, TCR delivered DWP £39 million of savings, of which £14 million related to 2022-23 expenditure. We expect the majority of savings to occur in the final years of the project when Targeted Case Review is fully operational. The Annual Report and Accounts for the financial year 23/24 is expected to be published Summer 2024. This will include Targeted Case Review spend and expenditure. The Fraud and Error National Statistics will be published on 16 May 2024.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

High Streets Heritage Action Zones Fund: East Midlands

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total value was of grant funding awarded from the Heritage High Street Fund to projects in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands since 2019.

Julia Lopez: The Government-funded High Streets Heritage Action Zones programme ran from 2019 to 2024. It was administered by Historic England. The programme has funded the transformation and restoration of over 60 high streets, creating economic growth and improving quality of life in these areas.The total grant funding awarded for programmes in Lincolnshire from 2019 to 2023 was £2,616,859. There were two programmes in Lincolnshire – in Lincoln (£1,971,279) and Grantham (£645,580).The total grant funding for the East Midlands (excluding Lincolnshire) from 2019 to 2023 was £5,727,564. There were five programmes across the East Midlands – in Buxton (£943,972), Hinkley (£577,868), Leicester (£1,909,237), Kettering (£2,124,417), and Newark (£172,070).

Football: Weather

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of weather related postponements on grassroots football clubs.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Football Association on an extension to the football season.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of playing home games at alternative venues on non-league football clubs.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to provide financial assistance to non-league football clubs impacted by weather related postponements.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Football Association on increasing funding for drainage works on grass pitches.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many junior football matches have been postponed this season as a result of weather.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Football Association’s decision not to allow an extension to the season for junior football on clubs.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of venues with artificial surfaces increasing prices for junior sides on clubs.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to provide financial assistance to junior football clubs impacted by weather related postponements.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Football Association on an extension to the football season for junior sides.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with local councils on the maintenance of grass pitches.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the state of grass pitches maintained by local authorities on junior football.

Stuart Andrew: Maintenance of grass football pitches is the responsibility of individual clubs in conjunction with the FA. Clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League System and Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid are eligible to apply for grants through the Premier League Stadium Fund in order to make improvements to their grounds. Administration of the grants is managed by the Football Foundation.Government is also delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. This includes £327 million to provide up to 8,000 new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK between 2021 and 2025.The Government recognises the logistical difficulties posed by weather-related postponements, and the consequent fixture congestion caused. This is exacerbated for clubs that have been forced to play their home fixtures at an alternative venue where the surface at their home ground is unplayable. However, the decision of whether or not to extend a football season is one that must be made by the FA as national governing body of the sport.

Football: Sportsgrounds

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Football Association on increasing funding for third and fourth generation playing surfaces.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is committed to delivering top class sports facilities across the country, so that everyone can take part in sport and physical activity. As part of this commitment, the Government is delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots sport facilities across the UK.Between 2021 and 2025, the UK Government is delivering investment of over £400 million to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. The largest component of this funding is the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which is investing over £320 million in, among other things, new third generation playing surfaces.Government recognises the importance of levelling up grassroots facilities across the country and as part of the delivery of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, we are analysing the need for future funding and how this will be delivered, taking into account the upcoming Spending Review.Government has been clear that the Football Association plays an integral role in the funding of grassroots facilities, and investment in both 3G and grass pitches remains a key priority. Government will continue to work with the Football Association to encourage future investment into facilities through the Football Foundation.

Video Games

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of prohibiting the practice of intentionally rendering commercial videogames inoperable when support ends.

Julia Lopez: The Government recognises recent concerns raised by video games users regarding the long-term operability of purchased products. Video games publishers must comply with existing consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs).The CPRs protect consumers from being given false or misleading information by businesses. If consumers purchased a game on the understanding that it would continue to be playable, even when support ends, then the CPRs may provide recourse.Under the CRA, consumers have clear rights when buying digital content, such as video games, supplied in digital form. Any digital content the consumer has paid for must be as described and of a satisfactory quality. If digital content does not meet these requirements, the consumer is entitled to a repair or replacement, or a price reduction or refund if the fault cannot be fixed. The CRA has a time limit of up to six years after a breach of contract during which a consumer can take legal action.

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Bullying

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many allegations of bullying have been made against Ministers by staff in her Department in each of the last 12 months.

Alan Mak: None.

UK Defence and Security Exports: Trade Fairs

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many firms have attended a tailored event run by the UK Defence and Security Exports export faculty in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the nuanced sessions listed on the UK Defence and Security Experts Faculty website, how many nuanced sessions UK Defence and Security Exports has delivered in each year since 2019.

Alan Mak: The number of people registered to a tailored event run by UKDSE Export Faculty since July 2022 (due to staff changes, unable to retrieve number of companies at other tailored faculty before this time): 834 people

INEOS: Belgium

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 19719 on INEOS: Belgium, whether the Ineos project will be capable of processing sustainable aviation fuel.

Greg Hands: The INEOS Olefins project is a petrochemical plant being built to produce a range of petrochemicals products rather than burnable fuels. Therefore it neither processes nor produces any form of aviation fuel.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to review the terms of the UK-Israel trade and partnership agreement.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business and Trade are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with Israel to update the current partnership agreement. The existing agreement guarantees tariff free trade on 99% of goods by value but contains no provisions to facilitate trade in services.Services comprise around 80% of both the UK and Israel’s economies but they only make up about 44% of total trade between us (in the 12 months ending September 2023). The trading relationship between the UK and Israel is valued at £6.4 billion (as of September 2023) and there is significant room for growth – given the UK is the world’s second largest exporter of services. An upgraded trade deal will play to British strengths and unlock trade for our world-leading services and digital sectors.

Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the long-term impact of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 on the provision of (a) healthcare, (b) transport and (c) other public services.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Strikes Act ensures there is a balance between the ability to strike and ensuring the public can continue to access essential services during strike action. Impact assessments have been published for the Act, as well as subsequent regulations, including for passenger rail, ambulance services, fire and rescue services and border security.

Strikes

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help protect workers from (a) dismissal and (b) other disciplinary action arising from their participation in legal strikes.

Kevin Hollinrake: Under existing legislation employees taking part in official protected industrial action lasting up to 12 weeks are protected from dismissal. The question of what other disciplinary action an employer can take in these circumstances was recently considered by the Supreme Court in the case of Mercer v Alternative Futures Group Ltd. The Government is carefully looking at the judgment in that case and will respond in due course.

Elbit Systems: Standard Individual Export Licences

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2024 to Question 22087 on Elbit Systems UK: Exports, whether she holds information on the type of items approved for export under the temporary Standard Individual Export Licence granted to Elbit Systems Limited in Israel; and whether those items were used in Gaza since 7 October 2023.

Alan Mak: The items licensed for export under the temporary Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) were intended for flight trials and testing. Items exported under a temporary SIEL must be returned to the UK within 12 months of the date on which the licence was granted. We are monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza very closely. All licences are kept under careful and continual review, and we are able to amend, suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.

Elbit Systems: Standard Individual Export Licences

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2024 to Question 22087 on Elbit Systems UK: Exports, whether the items approved for export under the temporary standard individual export licence granted to Elbit Systems Limited in Israel are used in the Hermes 450 drone.

Alan Mak: The items licensed for export under the temporary Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) were intended for flight trials and testing. Items exported under a temporary SIEL must be returned to the UK within 12 months of the date on which the licence was granted. We are monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza very closely. All licences are kept under careful and continual review, and we are able to amend, suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Abuse: Reoffenders

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people on probation (a) have been assessed as eligible for the Building Better Relationships programme and (b) are waiting for a place on that programme as of 23 April 2024.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the 200 custodial places on the Building Better Relationships programme were filled in 2023-24.

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many places will be available on the Building Better Relationships programme for people (a) in custody and (b) on probation in 2024-25.

Edward Argar: We are unable to provide data on the number of people on probation who have been assessed as eligible for the Building Better Relationships programme (BBR) or who are waiting for a place on that programme as of 23 April 2024 without incurring disproportionate cost. We are also unable to provide the number of available places on the BBR programme for people on probation in 2024-25 without incurring disproportionate cost. This information is not collated and recorded centrally. Regions collect their own management information and waiting lists vary with average waiting times for BBR between one and five months. Each region manages their own accredited programme referrals and allocation of places is based on risk and order expiry date.We are unable to provide data on the number of filled custodial places on the Building Better Relationships (BBR) programme in 2023-24 at this time as to do so would breach official statistics publication rules outlined in the Code of Practice for Statistics as they will form a subset of future published statistics. Data for 2023-2024 will be published in the Prison Education and Accredited Programme Statistics report on 26 September 2024.There are 210 places available on the BBR programme for people in custody for 2024-25. This is subject to review related to changes in both the demand for different programmes, and the transition to new programmes being introduced in-year.

Administration of Justice: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) producing and (b) publishing disaggregated justice data for Wales.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice produces the data required to deliver justice effectively in Wales. A significant amount of data is already published that is disaggregated for Wales.Officials in the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service continue to work with Welsh Government officials to consider areas in which Wales-specific data is not available and examine whether any such data might further aid the delivery of justice in Wales.

Ministry of Justice: Fraud

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) recognises that the nature of the fraud threat it faces is constantly evolving and that our response must be equally as agile. The MoJ has been developing its Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise (CoEx) since 2019 and this team has a central governance and oversight role across the Department, including its Executive Agencies, Arm’s Length Bodies and core Functions.The MoJ maintains a collaborative working relationship with the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) regarding Counter Fraud Functional Standards and performance, and contributes to PSFA thematic working groups, for example internal fraud risks.The MoJ conducts regular internal reviews against Functional Standards across the Department and collaborates with teams to improve performance and raise awareness in terms of fraud risk assessment, fraud controls and fraud reporting.The MoJ took part in the 2022 National Fraud Initiative that looked to identify duplicated payroll data held across other public and private sector bodies to prevent and detect fraud.The MoJ provides management information and updates to the Department Audit and Risk Committee.The MoJ has always had a current Counter Fraud Strategy, Policy and Response Plan in place, all of which are readily accessible on the respective Intranet sites.

Ministry of Defence

RAF Lossiemouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are based at RAF Lossiemouth.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 January 2024, there were 2,310 UK Armed Forces Service personnel stationed at RAF Lossiemouth. Please note the following caveats: All UK Forces Service personnel comprises UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel , Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) of unknown origin. University Officer Cadets are excluded. The figure includes trained and untrained personnel. The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many appeals of an initial eligibility decision under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy have been made; and how many and what proportion of these appeals were successful.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Published policy for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) indicates that every principal applicant to the scheme is entitled to request a review within 90 days of receipt of an initial eligibility decision. Applicants should seek a review if new or further information which supports their ARAP application has become available since the initial eligibility decision. As of 19 April 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has received over 96,000 unique ARAP applications and a total of 6,268 requests for a review of an initial eligibility decision. 21 initial decisions have been overturned.

Armed Forces: Death

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many young people had their continuity of education allowance withdrawn as a result of the death of a service member in each of the last five years broken down by key stage of education.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In the last five years, no young person has had their continuity of education allowance withdrawn as a result of the death of a claiming Service person.

Army: Bereavement Counselling

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Army publication entitled Family Guide: What to do after the death of a partner or relative, when that guide (a) was last updated and (b) will be updated next.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Army Families Guide was introduced in 2010. Minor amendments have been made subsequently, with the last amendment in August 2023. The Bereavement and Aftercare Support team in Army Headquarters are partway through a revision of this guide to update content, improve layout and complement rather than duplicate the Defence Purple Pack. Work is due to be completed in autumn 2024.

Armed Forces: Bereavement Counselling

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training is required to be a designated visiting officer for a bereaved family of a member of the armed forces.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many designated visiting officers there are in each service of the armed forces; and what are the targeted numbers in each service.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days after the death of a member of the armed forces are their families required to leave service family accommodation.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long visiting officers allocated to a service family who have experienced the bereavement of a member of the armed forces are allocated for.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Purple Pack bereavement guide for families of service personnel, updated on 7 March 2023, whether that guidance is provided in conjunction with other documentation developed by each service.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department's guidance entitled Purple Pack bereavement guide for families of service personnel, updated on 7 March 2023, is next due to be updated.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department produces guidance for bereavement of a family member in the armed forces for children and young people.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times the Defence Bereaved Families Group has met in the last five years; and when it is due to meet next.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister (a) attends and (b) receives minutes from meetings of the Defence Bereaved Families Group.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) as a caring employer has a comprehensive range of policies and resources in place to support families during the most difficult of times. With regards to accommodation, Joint Service Publication 464: Tri-Service Accommodation Regulations, makes provision for bereaved families to remain in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) for up to two years following the death of a Service person. It is normal to issue a 93 Day Notice to Vacate when two years is reached but retention of SFA may be extended beyond the two-year period on a discretionary case by case basis. The Purple Pack bereavement guide for families of service personnel who die in service is provided by the MOD. A routine review of the pack is underway, with a view to publication in summer 2024. The Purple Pack is supplemented and supported by documentation provided by each of the Services, for example, the Army Families Guide. The Purple Pack is provided for immediate adult family members. Information is provided for adults to support and manage bereaved children, including signposting to relevant charities and organisations. The Defence Bereaved Families Group meets twice a year in Spring and Autumn. In the past five years it has met ten times. The next meeting will be in September 2024, with the exact date yet to be confirmed. The Minister for Defence People and Families does not routinely attend the meeting, but he attended in September 2023 and regularly receives briefings from the Chair and co-Chair. Visiting Officers (VO) are an integral part of the support provided by Defence to bereaved families. VO are provided by each Service and undertake training relevant to their role. The Royal Navy (RN) has 60 personnel trained as VO, the Army has 1,390 and the Royal Air Force (RAF) has 1,103. Each Service runs training courses that meet their specific requirements, for personnel designated as a VO. For example, all RN VO are either Specialist Welfare Worker trained, having completed the Defence Specialist Welfare Worker Course (a Level Five Social Care training course specifically for the care of service personnel and their families), or Civil Service Social Workers registered with Social Work England (or equivalent devolved UK registration). In addition, all must attend and pass the RN Family & People Support VO training every three years. For the Army, formal, in person training is provided for those conducting both Casualty Notification Officer and VO duties. The training competency is extant for four years; if not appointed within that time frame a one-day refresher course can be conducted to enable another four years competency. The Army’s recommended minimum provision of VO is set at ten for Regular major units, three for Regular minor units, and two for Reserve units. The RAF VO competency is awarded after completion of a workshop and remains current for four years after which volunteers must attend another briefing day to renew it. Units are expected to aim for 2-5% of their trained strength to have the VO competency. There is no fixed period of time during which a VO will provide support to a bereaved family. This is dependent upon circumstances but normally would not extend beyond an Inquest or Service Inquiry. Appropriate transition plans will be put in place including arrangements for ongoing support to be provided through a point of contact from either the relevant single Service aftercare cell or unit HR staff. Via DBS’s Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), Defence also provides support to the bereaved via its national network of welfare managers (WM). A WM is assigned to families who experience a death in service and usually attends the initial visit alongside the VO. Support from VWS then endures for as long as is required and focuses on access to financial, welfare and wellbeing support as required, including issues in relation to the Armed Forces Pension. WMs who support clients in such circumstances are specifically trained and supervised as part of a VWS experts’ group. VWS is part of the Defence Bereaved Families Group.

Defence: Disinformation and Propaganda

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what technologies his Department is using to enhance defence against (a) cyber-propaganda and (b) misinformation campaigns.

Leo Docherty: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) doesn’t focus on a technological solution to cyber-propaganda and misinformation campaigns because it is fundamentally a human issue rather than a technological one. There is a cross-Government effort to identify, counter and shut down sources of malign narratives and dis/misinformation, but ultimately our focus is on ensuring our people – military, civilian, and supporting industry – are resilient to it. Additionally, misinformation can be produced far faster than it can be countered and therefore providing MOD personnel with the right skills and mindset, including through regular mandatory training, is the best way to ensure we have resilience in the face of cyber-propaganda and misinformation campaigns.

Russia: Ukraine

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the number of personnel serving in the Russian armed forces in Ukraine who have (a) been killed in action, (b) been wounded and (c) deserted their posts since February 2022.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of mercenaries serving in Russian private military companies who have (a) been killed in action, (b) been wounded and (c) deserted their post since February 2022.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an estimate of the number of Russian (a) main battle tanks, (b) armoured fighting vehicles, (c) fixed-wing aircrafts, (d) helicopters, (e) unmanned aerial vehicles, (f) ships, (g) artillery systems, (h) multiple-launch rocket systems and (i) other capabilities destroyed in Ukraine since 24 February 2022.

Leo Docherty: We estimate that approximately 450,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded, and tens of thousands more have already deserted since the start of the conflict. The number of personnel killed serving in Russian private military companies (PMCs) is not clear. We also estimate that over 10,000 Russian armoured vehicles, including nearly 3,000 main battle tanks, 109 fixed wing aircraft, 136 helicopters, 346 unmanned aerial vehicles, 23 naval vessels of all classes, and over 1,500 artillery systems of all types have been destroyed, abandoned, or captured by Ukraine since the start of the conflict.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 15728 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many applicants are awaiting an eligibility decision as of 18 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 23 April 2024, 2,352 applicants are awaiting an initial eligibility decision under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. Of these, 632 are applications raised in the last 3 months and 1,720 applications are complex cases awaiting an eligibility decision. The ARAP scheme remains open, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has received over 96,000 principal applications in total. Defence is working hard to consider all remaining applications, conducting checks and seeking additional information to ensure a decision can be made.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan people are (a) in the UK and (b) awaiting an initial decision on their eligibility under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme as of 18 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 23 April 2024, we have relocated over 16,300 Afghans to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). For statistics on the number of ARAP applicants awaiting a decision, I refer the right hon. Member to my answer to Question 22470.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) principals and (b) dependents are being housed in military accommodation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy as of 18 April 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As of 22 April 2024, our records show around 4,602 Afghans (principal applicants and family members) eligible for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme (ARAP) are being housed in military accommodation. This includes 2,452 Afghans in settled Service Family Accommodation, and 2,150 Afghans in temporary Reception Sites and transitional Service Family Accommodation prior to onwards movement into settled accommodation.

Air Force: Training

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2024 to Question 21960 on Air Force: Training, for what reason the requirement for pilots to successfully complete Phase 2 Military Flying Training was lower in the training years (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

Leo Docherty: For each training year, the number of trainee RAF pilots who enter the Phase 2 Military Flying Training System is based on the number of pilots required to commence Operational Conversion Units (OCUs) to meet the Front Line demand for qualified pilots in future years. The RAF Pipeline Management Team, governed through the Aircrew Pipeline Steering Group, actively manage the pilot training pipelines to ensure that trainee flowthrough is kept to an optimum to reduce periods of holdover for trainees between training courses. In 2022-23 and 2023-24 there was a managed reduction in some of the training pipelines to appropriately control the numbers of trainees in holdover ahead of joining OCUs. Additionally, as already documented, Hawk T2 engine issues impacted the number of Fast Jet pilots trained during this period.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Government's press release entitled, PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, what types of (a) armoured and (b) all-terrain vehicles his Department will supply to Ukraine.

James Cartlidge: We will provide over 400 vehicles to Ukraine, consisting of 160 protected mobility Husky vehicles; 162 armoured vehicles comprised of further AS90 155mm artillery guns and Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked); and 78 all-terrain vehicles made up of Bv-206 and Viking.These will provide much needed additional artillery support, reconnaissance capabilities, and amphibious mobility to support development of the Ukrainian marine corps.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Government's press release entitled, PM to announce largest-ever military aid package to Ukraine on visit to Poland, published on 23 April 2024, when the first deliveries of military support under the package will take place.

Leo Docherty: This latest military aid package to Ukraine, the most comprehensive so far, covering the land, sea and air environments, will be delivered over the next few months. It will be delivered as quickly as possible, in accordance with priorities agreed with Ukrainian partners.For operational security reasons, we generally do not comment on the progress of our deliveries, as to do so would risk both lives and the effectiveness of the aid.

Women and Equalities

Ethnic Groups

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including ethnic breakdowns in all national statistics.

Maria Caulfield: Government departments are responsible for the production of different national statistics. I have asked my officials to liaise with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to ascertain the feasibility of including ethnic breakdowns in all national statistics.A large amount of ethnicity data is already published on the Equality Hub’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures website. It was the first of its kind in terms of scale, scope and transparency and has been welcomed as best practice internationally. It contains statistics covering topics such as health, education, employment and the criminal justice system.Publishing more ethnicity data for some topic areas may not always be possible. Ethnicity data may not be collected in some surveys or data collections. Where it is collected, data for some ethnic groups with smaller populations may not be published for reasons of disclosure or statistical reliability.

Department for Transport

Hammersmith Bridge: Repairs and Maintenance

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when and with whom he has had discussions on the Business Case for the restoration of Hammersmith Bridge submitted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in the last six months.

Huw Merriman: The Secretary of State is currently reviewing the business case to ensure that it provides value for money for the taxpayer and will make a final decision in due course. The Department’s Ministers are continuing to have regular discussions on this matter with officials.

Future Mobility Zones Fund

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to receive the results of the evaluation of Future Transport Zones commissioned by his Department from the National Centre for Social Research.

Anthony Browne: The Department manages a programme-level evaluation of the Future Transport Zones on how the four Zones designed, procured and implemented their programmes, currently running from 2021-25. The externally commissioned evaluation of Future Transport Zones is still ongoing.

Paddington Station

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with the Mayor of London on the (a) reasons for the duration of time during which an escalator at Paddington Station has been out of service and (b) impact of that on elderly and disabled visitors to that station.

Huw Merriman: Facilities at Paddington London Underground station are the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL). DfT Ministers and officials meet regularly with TfL on a range of issues.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Fraud

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office reported no cases of fraud or amounts lost due to fraud or error in any of the last three financial years. This is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts available on GOV.UK.The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA).In 22/23, the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer.The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting-edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Natural Disasters

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of natural disasters on (a) semiconductor supply chains and (b) global technology markets.

Saqib Bhatti: As the recently published Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy highlights, the UK Government is building capability to forecast and respond to external shocks to critical supply chains, including natural disasters. The Government will continue work to further the resilience of our critical imports and their supply chains, including semiconductors.The UK Government is working closely with international partners, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to improve supply chain resilience for semiconductors. This includes working with the G7 and supporting the work of the OECD to improve the availability and exchange of information on semiconductor supply chain risks.

Semiconductors: Manufacturing Industries

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the diversification of semiconductor manufacturing to enhance supply chain resilience.

Saqib Bhatti: The UK Government is taking steps domestically and internationally to address supply chain diversification requirements for different types of semiconductors. The UK has world-leading capability in semiconductor design, R&D, and compound semiconductors and the Government is boosting the UK domestic sector through targeted intervention. Internationally, the UK Government is working closely with the G7 and bilaterally with partners such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US to improve global supply chain diversification and resilience.

Semiconductors: Supply Chains

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with allies to secure semiconductor supply chains in the context of heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Saqib Bhatti: Safeguarding the UK against supply chain disruptions is a key pillar of the UK National Semiconductor Strategy, and international collaboration is crucial to achieving this. The UK Government works closely with international partners, including through semiconductor partnerships with Japan and the Republic of Korea. These partnerships explore shared approaches and solutions to improve global supply chain resilience and aim to establish areas of collaboration for mutual strategic advantage. Multilaterally, the UK Government is engaging with the G7 and the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network to strengthen understanding and coordination of global supply chain risks.

Semiconductors: Manufacturing Industries

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with her international counterparts on coordinating the global response to potential disruptions of semiconductor manufacturing as a result of geopolitical tensions.

Saqib Bhatti: The UK Government is working closely with international partners and has already signed semiconductor partnerships with Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US. These partnerships encourage greater transparency in the semiconductor market, place an increased focus on improving supply chain resilience, and establish areas of collaboration for mutual strategic advantage. Multilaterally, the UK Government is engaging with the G7 and the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network to strengthen understanding and coordination of global supply chain risks.

Artificial Intelligence: South Korea

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department expects to send ministerial representatives to the South Korean AI safety summit.

Saqib Bhatti: As this is a co-hosted Summit between the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom, the Government can confirm that the Secretary of State will be attending the Summit in Seoul. At this moment, the Government cannot confirm if there will be any other ministerial representatives to attend in the Summit.

Artificial Intelligence: Research

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation: Government response, CP 1019, updated on 6 February 2024, how much of the £10m to jumpstart regulator’s AI capabilities has been allocated.

Saqib Bhatti: The Government is moving at pace to design the mechanism for allocating the £10m funding to jumpstart regulator capabilities. The Government is actively engaging with regulators to ensure this is delivered in a way that best supports their needs. The Government expects to launch the fund this summer and will allocate the funding during the course of this financial year and 25/26.

Artificial Intelligence: Research

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation: Government response, CP 1019, updated on 6 February 2024, what progress her Department has made on boosting AI research through the launch of nine new research hubs across the UK.

Andrew Griffith: UK research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has invested £86 million in new research hubs that will propel the UK to the forefront of advanced AI research. The hubs are broad consortia of universities and businesses, which will leverage the UK’s world leading AI research, connecting universities and businesses and creating spinouts who will deliver next-generation innovations and technologies. This focussed investment will enable AI to evolve and tackle complex problems across applications from healthcare treatments to power-efficient electronics, transforming the way we develop and use AI, and is part of a larger investment of over £300 million in AI research and training by EPSRC over the past 12 months, safeguarding the UK’s digital future.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Darwin Plus: Finance

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2024 to Question 21017 on Darwin Plus, if he will provide a breakdown of Darwin Plus fund projects funded since 2019.

Rebecca Pow: Pursuant to the Answer of 18 April to Question 21017, a summary of Darwin Plus projects funded since 2019, broken down by Territory, can be found below. These figures include the latest awards from Rounds 12 of Darwin Plus Main and Fellowships, Round 1 of Darwin Plus Strategic, and Round 3 of Darwin Plus Local. Overseas TerritoryGrant Funding from 2019 - 2024Anguilla£4,818,639.72Bermuda£961,876.60British Antarctic Territory£1,368,375.75British Indian Ocean Territory£1,695,969.14British Virgin Islands£4,652,346.29Cayman Islands£4,152,086.03Falkland Islands£3,789,195.36Gibraltar£319,343.10Montserrat£2,842,585.69Pitcairn, Henderson, Oeno and Ducie Islands£423,105.00St Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha£6,486,241.84South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands£5,278,964.75Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia£1,883,252.50Turks and Caicos Islands£4,120,137.14

Environment Agency: Staff

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full time staff work in the Environment Agency Economic Crime Unit.

Robbie Moore: Fifteen full-time staff worked for the Environment Agency Economic Crime Unit on 22 April 2024.

Flood Control: Urban Areas

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce flooding in urban areas.

Robbie Moore: The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. This investment includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme, a £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, £170 million for economic recovery from flooding and over £30 million of funding for flood incident management. This investment will benefit both urban and rural communities. We forecast that around 55% of the £5.2bn investment, and around 60% of schemes, will better protect properties in urban areas. This includes investment in major flood projects benefitting urban areas, such as the Thames Estuary Programme, the Southsea Coastal Scheme, and others. Flood risk is also an important consideration in the planning system and there are strong safeguards in place. In 2022/23, 96% of all planning decisions complied with Environment Agency advice on flood risk. On 13 March 2024 the Government published its response to the National Infrastructure Commission’s study into ‘reducing the risk of surface water flooding’. Our response sets out actions to strengthen and further develop the implementation of current policy, supporting lead local flood authorities to access better data, information and to improve co-operation between bodies.

Flood Control: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will work with metro mayors to create a plan for flooding across Yorkshire.

Robbie Moore: Lead Local Flood Authorities have a duty to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for local flood risk management in its area, and the Government is supportive of them working together to deliver shared mitigations for a wider area. The Government has committed to reform the current approach to local flood risk planning by 2026, ensuring every area of England will have a more strategic and comprehensive plan that drives long-term local action and investment and supports a catchment-based approach. To strengthen collaboration, we will encourage flood and coastal erosion risk management activities across local authority boundaries and explore options to join up flood resilience with other responsibilities held by Mayors or Combined Authorities. As part of the Government’s six-year £200 million flood and coastal innovation programme (FCIP), £8 million is allocated to four adaptation pathways to support work in the Thames and Humber estuaries, the Severn Valley and Yorkshire to trial and develop ways of planning ahead and making wise investment choices for the decades to come in the face of the long-term uncertainties brought by climate change. The West Yorkshire Adaption Pathway (WYAP) project is developing a community-scale surface water flood risk adaptation plan for a town in West Yorkshire. The South Yorkshire Adaption Pathway (SYAP) project aims to develop an adaptation pathway plan for South Yorkshire which will ensure that all decision-making on, and implementation of, long-term, future adaptation is as efficient and effective as possible.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

General Elections: Expenditure

Alexander Stafford: To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, whether it is a requirement for a candidate to publish a candidate spending return for the long campaign; and what guidance the Commission has provided to hon. Members on that issue.

Cat Smith: It is a requirement for candidates to provide any candidate spending during the long campaign in a return to their Returning Officer.The Commission provides guidance for all candidates to help them meet their legal obligations, which is applicable to those Hon. Members seeking re-election at the next UK parliamentary general election.It also provides additional bespoke advice and support to Hon. Members and their staff, as it does for all other political parties, campaigners and candidates.

General Elections: Expenditure

Alexander Stafford: To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, what assessment the Commission has made of the impact of General Data Protection Regulations on its (a) interpretations of and (b) guidance on long campaign returns and spending.

Cat Smith: Candidates have a legal requirement to submit a spending return for the long campaign to the Returning Officers who in turn must forward them to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission and Returning Officers must process the data in the return according to their respective functions as set on in UK law. All data collected by the Commission is processed according to its obligations under data protection laws.

General Elections: Expenditure

Alexander Stafford: To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance, Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, what the evidential basis is for the assertion that an item of candidate spending provided by a party counts towards both (a) the long campaign spending limit for a candidate and (b) the party spending limit; how the treatment of notional expenditure and agent-authorised expenditure differs; and whether the Commission has made an assessment of the potential impact on party spending limits.

Cat Smith: The Electoral Commission’s guidance aims to support campaigners to meet their obligations which are set by the UK’s complex political finance laws. It develops guidance based on legal advice and interpretation of these laws.The Commission sought additional external legal advice on reporting of spending during the long campaign and is in the process of reflecting that legal advice in guidance.The guidance will provide clarity on the parts of the candidate spending laws that impact how a candidate should report spending in the long campaign.It will also clarify that there is a requirement for a candidate return for spending during the long campaign and therefore spending is not reportable in a party return.

General Elections: Expenditure

Alexander Stafford: To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's guidance entitled Reporting candidate spending in the long campaign for a UK Parliamentary general election, published on 6 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the changes from the guidance published ahead of the 2015 general election; and whether the Commission consulted political parties during the development of the revised guidance.

Cat Smith: The Commission sought external legal advice on the requirement for the reporting of spending during the long campaign, after receiving feedback from political parties. That advice differed from the position established by the Commission. The Commission is now in the process of reflecting that advice in its guidance.The Commission has a responsibility to provide guidance for political parties and campaigners which helps them meet their legal obligations. It considers the impact that changes to its guidance have on its regulated community, but has a duty to accurately reflect the law.The Commission has a constructive relationship with the party panels, and it regularly consults on key areas of its work, both formally and informally. The Commission always welcomes feedback from political parties on areas where it can better help them meet their legal obligations.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Carbon Emissions: Business

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral Answer by the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero of 27 February 2024, Official Report, column 123, what her planned timescale is for publishing the Net Zero Council business sector roadmaps.

Justin Tomlinson: Net zero business sector roadmap guidelines were published in August 2023, providing a robust, credible and consistent set of criteria to support businesses in developing tailored action plans to reduce emissions. Industry representatives have led the development of roadmaps in priority sectors, which have been discussed by the Council to catalyse action across the economy and identify dependencies across sectors. This workstream is coordinated on behalf of the Council by the Broadway Initiative, who are exploring options for publication following the conclusion of the Council’s review.

Carbon Emissions: Business

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Net Zero Council has consulted (a) industry associations and (b) sector-wide bodies during the development of business sector roadmaps.

Justin Tomlinson: The Net Zero Council developed guidelines to help businesses create tailored action plans to reduce emissions across their sector. These were published last year and provide a robust, credible and consistent set of criteria for business sector roadmaps. Industry-led roadmaps have been developed in line with this guidance for priority sectors of the economy, with input from both industry associations and sector-wide bodies.

Net Zero Council

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the minutes of the Net Zero Council's meeting on 9 November 2023, what steps her Department is taking to support the first pillar of the Net Zero Council's SME workstream on net zero messaging.

Justin Tomlinson: Delivery of net zero relies on strong business action. The Council supported the re-launch of the UK Business Climate Hub, which provides information and resources to SMEs. The Hub highlights the benefits of reducing carbon emissions, setting out the opportunities offered by net zero and empowering businesses to act. The Council remains committed to further developing the UK Business Climate Hub. The Council is also supporting SMEs through its Public Engagement workstream, which is developing resources to support businesses when communicating with staff, customers and supply chains on both the broader net zero transition and decarbonisation within their sector.

Net Zero Council

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the minutes of the meeting of the Net Zero Council on 9 November 2023, which member of the Net Zero Council has been nominated to lead its public engagement workstream; and what steps the Council has taken to encourage consumer engagement.

Justin Tomlinson: A public engagement working group has been convened under the Net Zero Council, meeting an ask from businesses for consumer-facing information on net zero to support their own engagement. The group is chaired by Council member Chris Hulatt, Co-founder of Octopus Investments, and includes representatives from key business sectors, behaviour change experts and public engagement specialists. The group is working with trade bodies to develop resources to support businesses to communicate effectively on the net zero transition, and advising the UK Government as it delivers on the public engagement commitments set out in Powering Up Britain: Net Zero Growth Plan.

Net Zero Council

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech on Net Zero on 20 September 2023, whether the Prime Minister had discussions with the Net Zero Council on the content of that speech prior to its delivery.

Justin Tomlinson: The Net Zero Council is co-chaired by myself and CEO of the Co-operative Group, Shirine Khoury-Haq. Minutes of its meetings can be found on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/net-zero-council Ministers and officials have regular discussions with 10 Downing Street on a range of issues across our departmental responsibilities, including net zero.

Energy: Meters

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of gas and electricity suppliers' licence obligation to inspect their customers’ meters.

Amanda Solloway: Licensing is matter for the expert independent regulator, Ofgem. Licence conditions require that a customer’s bill is based on the best available metering information, and that where a supplier visits a customer’s premises, staff are properly trained to carry out such visits safely and effectively. Suppliers must take all reasonable steps to obtain meter readings at least annually.

District Heating: Finance

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Green Heat Network fund in supporting shared ground loop deployment in rural off-gas grid areas.

Amanda Solloway: I refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave on 21 March 2024 to my hon Friend the Member for St Ives (Derek Thomas) to Question UIN 18922.

Heating: Rural Areas

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support clean heat installations in rural areas.

Amanda Solloway: The Government ‘help to heat’ schemes supports deployment of low carbon heating in rural areas through ECO, Wave 2 of SHDF and HUG2. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme also provides grants of £7,500 towards upfront cost and installation of air and ground source heat pumps. Up to the end of February 2024, 57% of grants paid out were for clean heat installations in rural areas Through the Heat Network Transformation Programme, the Government is working with industry and local authorities to develop new heat networks and improve existing ones, including investing £500 million half a billion pounds in funds.

Heating: Rural Areas

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help support the deployment of shared ground loops in rural areas.

Amanda Solloway: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants of £7,500 to support the installation of air source, ground source and water source heat pumps including plants installed as part of a shared ground loop. We are increasing the shared ground loops system capacity limit in May from 45kW to 300kW to address the concerns that groundworks for ground source heat pumps are a significant barrier to deployment. Shared ground loop installations which satisfy the eligibility criteria for the Green Heat Network Fund can apply to the scheme for support. To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that their networks can deliver a minimum of 2GWh per year of heat.

Energy: Standing Charges

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of energy tariff standing charges on small businesses.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem issued a Call for Input on standing charges which closed on 20 January 2024. It included an invitation to submit views on the issues affecting standing charges in the non-domestic retail sector. Ofgem are currently analysing responses and reviewing the make-up and structure of standing charges. The Government recognises that businesses are facing pressure through their energy bills. That is why on 30 March 2024, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State and I wrote to Ofgem, highlighting the importance of keeping standing charges as low as possible.https://twitter.com/ClaireCoutinho/status/1774001008953217079

Energy: Standing Charges

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with Ofgem on trends in the level of commercial energy tariff standing charges.

Amanda Solloway: On 30 March, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State and I wrote to the Chief Executive of Ofgem, highlighting the importance of keeping standing charges as low as possible. Ofgem launched a call for input in November 2023 on standing charges in the non-domestic and domestic retail markets, looking at how they are applied to energy bills and what alternatives could be considered. Ofgem is currently analysing the responses and will publish its response in due course.

Energy Company Obligation: Suffolk Coastal

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2024 to Question 21031 on Carbon Emissions: Suffolk Coastal, if her Department will provide a breakdown of funding granted through Energy Company Obligation Schemes to residents of Suffolk Coastal constituency.

Amanda Solloway: The ECO scheme is not funded directly by government, rather it is funded by obligated energy suppliers who then recoup the cost from their domestic customers. Government does not hold data on the geographical distribution of ECO spending. To end of December 2023 (the latest available data) ECO schemes have supported the installation of 2,668 measures in 2,069 homes in the Suffolk Coastal constituency. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-statistics-headline-release-april-2024.

Energy Price Guarantee

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what criteria was used to calculate the sums allocated for debt servicing by suppliers within the Energy Price Guarantee.

Amanda Solloway: There was no allocation for debt servicing within the Energy Price Guarantee.

Energy: Price Caps

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much and what proportion of the Energy Price Cap is allocated for debt servicing by suppliers.

Amanda Solloway: The setting of the energy price cap rates each quarter is a matter for Ofgem. Ofgem has published a breakdown of the price cap: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Fraud

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office reported no cases of fraud or amounts lost due to fraud or error in any of the last three financial years. This is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts available on GOV.UK. The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In 22/23, the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer. The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting-edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector. The Northern Ireland Office has also recently launched a counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and Response Plan.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Construction

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to enable local planning authorities to use the most recent Office for National Statistics household projections in the standard method of calculating local housing need.

Lee Rowley: A review of the standard method formula was undertaken in 2020. As part of the consultation, we asked if we should incorporate more recent household projections data into the formula. Following careful consideration of the responses received, to provide stability and certainty for local authorities and other stakeholders we decided to retain the existing formula.We have kept the standard method under review. Through a consultation on changes to national policy held in 2022/23 we committed to review our approach to assessing housing needs once new household projections data, based on the 2021 Census, is released in 2025.

Flats: Fire Prevention

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to help leaseholders with premium insurance rates for multi-occupancy residential buildings affected by (a) flammable cladding and (b) other material safety risks.

Lee Rowley: The Government continues to put extreme pressure into ensuring more fair and proportionate premiums for leaseholders living in multi-occupancy buildings with fire safety issues.The FCA recommended that the insurance industry develop a risk-sharing facility for buildings with fire-safety issues. The Association of British Insurers’ Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility launched on 1 April 2024 in response to this recommendation. We are closely monitoring the Facility to understand the extent to which it improves outcomes for leaseholders.On 31 December 2023, FCA changes came into force to give leaseholders rights under Fair Value rules and require the disclosure of key policy information. We welcome these changes and expect that they will help reduce the unfair costs facing leaseholders.On 27 November 2023, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill was introduced into Parliament. The Bill bans insurance commissions being passed to freeholders and managing agents, replacing these with transparent handling fees. This will stop leaseholders being charged excessive and opaque commissions on top of their premiums.The Government has also published a commitment by 14 insurance broker companies to cap their commissions to 15%, stop sharing commissions with managing agents, landlords and freeholders, and share policy information with leaseholders when requested. The pledge will benefit leaseholders in buildings over 11 metres (or four storeys) in height with identified fire safety defects, where these details have been made known to the insurance broker.We will continue to monitor the impact these changes have had on leaseholder premiums, and will remain engaged with industry regarding whether any further steps may be required.